Nurses have warned of the ‘incredibly miserable’ consequences of the government’s plans to ban the recruitment of care workers from overseas.
Nursing staff from various healthcare settings shared their significant concerns during an emergency debate at the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Congress in Liverpool today.
The debate was scheduled following the government’s plans to ‘bring down historically high levels of net migration’ – as outlined in an Immigration White Paper published earlier this week – by putting a stop to the care worker visa route.
Ewout Jackson, who is a Dutch-citizen but completed his special educational needs nurse training in the UK, said: ‘I stand with my colleagues who are actively impacted by the white paper, and although I would hate to lose them, I don’t feel we can blame them for thinking about leaving.
‘Who would want to stay if they do not feel wanted?’
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One adult nurse, Joshua Mangwiro, pointed to the major role of international nursing staff in the UK’s social care workforce and warned that the government had failed to prepare for the consequences of its decision.
‘This is not reform, this is de-form. We do not have a national workforce plan. We do not have a pay framework,’ he said.
‘We do not have any guaranteed training pathways for carers in this country, and we do not have a joint national strategy for the recruitment and retention of carers in this country.’
Another nurse, Daniel Faleti, warned: ‘International care workers are the crucial and preventive collapse of the social care sector, their absence will lead to incredibly miserable conditions for the existing workforce.’
The debate was passed by RCN members meaning that the RCN Council has been urged to ‘lobby government and demand action on the consequences’ of its care workers visa decision.
Also today, the RCN has published a new report based on a survey of more than 3,000 migrant nursing staff, including care workers, nursing support workers and registered nurses which suggests tens of thousands are set to quit for countries like Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
The report, Unreciprocated Care: why internationally educated nursing staff are leaving the UK, found just under half (42%) are already planning to leave the country, with two-thirds of those intending to move to a country other than their home country.
Those who planned to leave were asked what would impact their decision to stay in the UK, with 70% selecting salary and 40% selecting immigration policy.
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Responding to the release of the report, RCN general secretary and chief executive Professor Nicola Ranger, said: ‘This situation is bad enough, but now the government’s cruel measures could accelerate this exodus, doing great damage to key services.’
She said closing the care worker visa route was ‘the hostile environment on steroids’.
‘Sadly, this government is intent on pushing people into poverty, away from the country, and with no credible plan to grow the domestic workforce in sight,’ added Professor Ranger.
‘Government must do all it can to get the next generation into nursing.’
Last month a report from the charity Work Rights Centre made fresh calls to ensure migrant nursing staff are protected from workplace exploitation and can leave ‘abusive jobs’.
In March, the RCN warned of an eight-fold increase in concerns raised by migrant nursing staff who fear they are victims of exploitation within the social care sector.
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A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said the government was focused on improving ‘the recruitment and retention of homegrown talent’.
‘We recognise the scale of reform needed to make adult social care attractive as a career: we want it to be regarded as a profession, and for the people who work in care to be respected as professionals.’
And they reiterated the government’s promise to introduce a ‘fair pay agreement’ for the social care sector and to ‘implementing the first universal career structure, giving care workers better pay, conditions, and new opportunities to progress in their career’.
